Business Development Manager

Overview

Kao, founded in Japan in 1887, is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives with high quality products and services to create a Kirei Life for all. Kao strives for quality and environmental stewardship and has been listed among the World’s Most Ethical Companies for 19 consecutive years. The Kao Way guides integrity, innovation, and mutual respect across the organization.

Washing Systems (WSI), now part of the Kao family of companies, seeks a highly self-motivated Business Development Manager (BDM) to join our team. The BDM is responsible for identifying, developing, and closing new business opportunities within the commercial laundry market. This role focuses on expanding market share by selling integrated solutions – including laundry chemicals, equipment, service programs, and process improvements – to industrial, hospitality, healthcare, food & beverage, and institutional laundry operations.

Reporting to the Western Group V.P., the BDM will work closely with technical, service, and operations teams to deliver value-driven solutions that improve customer efficiency, quality, safety, and total cost of ownership.

Responsibilities and tasks are written as follows:

New Business Development

• Identify and pursue new customer opportunities within assigned territory or market segment.
• Develop and execute a strategic sales plan to achieve revenue, margin, and growth targets.
• Build and maintain a robust sales pipeline using CRM tools.
• Prospect through cold calling, networking, referrals, trade shows, and industry events.

Solution-Based Selling

• Assess customer laundry operations, including equipment, formulas, water usage, energy consumption, labor, and workflow.
• Present tailored solutions involving chemicals, equipment, automation, and service support.
• Quantify value propositions such as cost savings, productivity improvements, quality enhancements, and sustainability benefits.
• Prepare and deliver proposals, pricing, and contracts aligned with company guidelines.

Relationship Management

• Establish strong relationships with decision-makers including owners, plant managers, operations leaders, and procurement teams.
• Collaborate with internal service, technical, and operations teams to ensure smooth onboarding and long-term customer success.
• Maintain knowledge of competitor offerings, market trends, and customer needs.

Market & Industry Engagement

• Stay current on commercial laundry industry trends, regulations, and best practices.
• Represent the company at industry associations, conferences, and customer events.
• Provide feedback to leadership on market opportunities and product/service enhancements.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work and are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills. May perform other duties as assigned.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.

Required

• 5+ years of sales or business development experience, preferably in:
• Commercial laundry
• Industrial services
• Chemicals, equipment, or facility services
• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets.
• Experience with consultative, solution-based selling.
• Strong financial and operational acumen (ROI, cost analysis, value selling).
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Proficiency with CRM systems and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to travel within assigned territory (typically 50–70%).

Preferred

• Direct experience in commercial or industrial laundry operations.
• Knowledge of laundry chemicals, dosing systems, washers, dryers, tunnels, or finishing equipment.
• Experience selling into healthcare, hospitality, food processing, or industrial laundries.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, or related field.

The physical demands described here are representative of those an employee should possess to successfully perform…